If you are not familiar with rugby sevens, I highly encourage you to become a fan. It’s a shorter version of the full game, played with 7 players, 7 minutes each way in two halves. It’s fast, exciting, amazing, and a lot of fun.

Every year in spring, the Men’s Sevens World Series visits Vancouver’s BC Place and is played over two days by the best teams in the world. Also, the Women’s Sevens World Series visits Langford in Victoria and is also played over two days.

• Men’s Sevens in Vancouver: April 16th & 17th, 2022
• Women’s Sevens in Langford: April 30th & May 1st, 2022

For those in Canada, you can watch live on CBC Sports.

But that is not what this is about. This is about the etiquette and respect I have witnessed between players in the sport of rugby. Rugby itself is a tough game to play (by men and women, I might add), requiring a lot of fitness and strength. It’s full of tackling, grabbing, pushing, shoving, but is not a dirty sport. It has rules that define how you must play the game, which has instilled a level of etiquette and respect in those who play it.

Just take a look at this 1-minute promo video:

And this 5-minute one. Watch at 3 minutes in this one where a small boy ends up on the field and the game immediately stops so all players let him run the full length and score a try! The players instantly came to an agreement to do this when they saw him, amazing. They understod what needed to happen in that moment because of the values they have instilled in them.

Fiji are a very good sevens team and highly religious people. They even respect the ball boy!

. . . .

Etiquette in Rugby

• As soon as the final whistle sounds, you shake hands with the nearest opposition player
• Always clap your oponents off the field in a tunnel
• Post-game socializing is an important part of the game where you share a beer with your opposite number
• The referee has the ultimate say in decisions, there is NO back-chat or arguing allowed
• When an opposition player is kicking for goal, you should be silent with no booing (that includes spectators)

Rugby’s Values

In 2009, the World Rugby member unions identified integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect as the defining character-building characteristics of rugby. These are now collectively known as the World Rugby values and are incorporated within the World Rugby Playing Charter, a guiding document aimed at preserving rugby’s unique character and ethos both on and off the field of play.

The core values enable participants immediately to understand the character of the games and what makes it distinctive as a sport which is played by people of all shapes and sizes.

• Integrity: central to the fabric of the game and is generated through honesty and fair play.
• Passion: rugby people have a passionate enthusiasm for the game. Rugby generates excitement, emotional attachment and a sense of belonging to the global rugby family
• Solidarity: rugby provides a unifying spirit that leads to life-long friendships, camaraderie, teamwork and loyalty which transcends cultural, geographic, political and religious differences.
• Discipline: an integral part of the game both on and off the field and is reflected through adherence to the laws, the regulations and rugby’s core values.
• Respect: for team-mates, opponents, match officials and those involved in the game is paramount.

I hope you can watch some sevens rugby!